Court: Ranked-choice voting runs afoul of Maine Constitution

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The nation's first voting system approved for statewide elections that allows voters to rank their top candidate picks runs afoul of the Maine Constitution, the state supreme court said Tuesday, opening the door to legislative action to undo the voter-approved law.

The Supreme Judicial Court unanimously concluded that the election overhaul aimed at ensuring a majority vote for the winning candidate is in conflict with the constitutional mandate that says only a plurality, not a majority, is needed to win elective office.

Republicans have been critical of several voter-approved referendums, including a surcharge on wealthy Mainers and a minimum-wage law, in addition to ranked-choice voting.

Ranked-choice voting has been successfully implemented in municipal elections across the country, but Maine was the first state to try to implement the system on a statewide basis.

The referendum would've allowed residents to rank their ballot choices from first to last in a system that ensures a candidate wins majority support while eliminating the impact of spoilers and rejecting party extremists who lack centrist appeal.